The Molecular Diagnosis Facility was established by the Cancer Center in 1987. This Shared Resource has been continuously approved and funded by the NCI Core Grant since 1989. This facility received "excellent" merit in the last competitive renewal application in 1994. The Molecular Diagnosis Facility provides state-of-the-art molecular assays and expertise to facilitate and enhance Cancer Center investigators' projects in both basic and clinical research. The Facility Director, Debra Leonard, MD, PhD, brings considerable scientific and administrative experience to the role of Facility Director. Prior to her recruitment to Penn, she directed the Clinical Molecular Pathology Laboratories at Case Western Reserve University. As the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer are elucidate, more cancer research is focusing on the translation of this new knowledge into diagnostic and therapeutic tools. The Molecular Diagnostic Facility allows clinical investigators to work at the cutting edge of this information transfer research giving them access to molecular biology methods and expertise. The need for molecular biology methods by Cancer Center members will continue to expand during the next project period and the Molecular Diagnosis Facility will allow cancer investigators to apply this technology to their research protocols. The majority of usage of the Molecular Diagnosis Facility is by Cancer Center members (96%). Cancer Center members with peer reviewed funding account for 91% of total annual usage.